REACH & RoHS compliance
If your order acknowledgement, delivery note or invoice shows "Lead >0.1% SVHC" against a line, this page explains what that means and how to handle the parts safely.
Woodstock Industrial Supplies is a UK distributor of fasteners and fixings. We buy from UK manufacturers and importers, and under UK REACH we are a distributor of articles. Our main duty is to tell customers when a part contains a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) above 0.1% by weight. We do that on our sales documents without waiting to be asked.
Why brass fasteners are flagged
Most turned brass fasteners are made from free-machining brass. Lead is added to the alloy to help it machine cleanly. Lead is on both the EU and UK REACH Candidate Lists of SVHCs, and these brasses contain well over the 0.1% threshold, so we declare it.
| Product group | Typical material | Typical lead content |
|---|---|---|
| Brass fasteners and turned parts (screws, nuts, washers, inserts, spacers) | CW614N (CuZn39Pb3, CZ121) | 2.5–3.5% w/w |
| Brass hot-stamped or forged parts | CW617N (CuZn40Pb2) | 1.6–2.5% w/w |
Declaring lead doesn't prevent brass fasteners being used in engineering applications.
Safe use
Lead is present as an alloying constituent. Exposure during ordinary handling of intact parts is generally expected to be low.
Machining, grinding, cutting, heating or welding can produce lead-containing dust, swarf or fume. When doing this:
- use suitable extraction and personal protective equipment
- wash hands before eating, drinking or smoking
- dispose of swarf and waste as metal scrap in line with local regulations
At end of life, recycle the parts as non-ferrous (brass) scrap.
Low-lead and lead-free brass grades are available for many parts on request.
RoHS
RoHS restricts certain substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Fasteners aren't electrical equipment themselves, but they are often built into it. The RoHS limits apply to each homogeneous material, so a plated or passivated coating is assessed separately from the base metal.
- Brass: compliant under RoHS exemption 6(c), copper alloy containing up to 4% lead. Exemptions apply only on their statutory conditions and are time-limited; current dates are in our RoHS declaration below. Customers should confirm the exemption applies to their own finished equipment.
- Yellow chromate (hexavalent) zinc passivate: not RoHS compliant. Parts with this finish should not be used in RoHS-scope equipment. Yellow passivates based on trivalent chromium are not affected. Trivalent (Cr III) clear or blue passivates are available as compliant alternatives for most parts.
If a part's finish is not stated on your order, check with us before using it in electrical equipment.
Full details, including the GB position and the restricted-substance limits, are in our RoHS declaration below.
Downloads
Both documents are reviewed after each Candidate List update and at least once a year.
Product-specific information
For the REACH or RoHS status of a specific part number, contact us and quote the part number from your order or invoice.